Combe Valley Counryside Park
The Combe Valley Countryside Park is an area of countryside north-east of Bexhill covering about 2.5 sq. miles. Although parts of it are within Hastings and Crowhurst, two thirds of the Park lie within the Bexhill boundary.
The Combe Haven runs through the valley where it is joined by the Watermill Stream and the Powdermill Stream and runs out to sea at Bulverhythe. The valley floor floods every winter providing valuable habitat for winter visiting birds. The flood meadows and reedbeds are nationally rare habitats and the area has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Higher ground has farmlend used for crops and livestock and there are significant areas of woodland. The Park also includes a stretch of the shoreline running East from the Angling Club at the western end of Galley Hill and this has been designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI).
The Park has a network of paths, some of which are public rights of way and others are permissive paths. The Greenway (shown above), which roughly follows the link road, runs from near Sidley to Upper Wilting Farm and is accessible all year to pedestrians, cyclists, horse-riders and wheelchair users. Most other paths are only for pedestrians and some of them, especially those that cross the flood meadows can be impassable in the winter months.
The wide variety of habitats ensures that there is a huge amount of wildlife in the Park including some rare species. Details of some of these, along with a footpath map and information about how to access the Park are to be found on the Park website http://combevalleycountrysidepark.com/
The Park is managed by the Combe Valley Countryside Park Community Interest Company and assisted by the Friends of Combe Valley.
